


Even Jason Breaks Sometimes

by Alex_Lyra



Category: Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Has PTSD, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alex_Lyra/pseuds/Alex_Lyra
Summary: Jason's mission didn't end well. Roy has to help with the fallout.
Relationships: Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Kudos: 100





	Even Jason Breaks Sometimes

"Goddammit, Jason!"

The safehouse was roaring with intense fury, with two equally bad-tempered boys screaming at each other. 

"You know what, I'm gettin' real sick of your shit, Roy! Stop lecturing me, I do what I want, when I want!" Jason snarled at Roy, pointing his finger at him.

"How do you not see the consequences of your own damn actions, Jason!" Roy spat out. Roy walked away to sip some whisky and ran his fingers through his fiery red hair.

"You could have gotten yourself killed. What were you thinking? Goin' after Joker like that? By yourself, no less!" Roy sighed and frowned at Jason.

"I was fine. I could handle it." Jason snapped back.

"Goddammit, Jason, that's what you said last time!" Roy screamed.

Jason visibly froze. He opened his jaw to speak and then promptly shut it again. He pressed his lips into a look of sheer fury. Hurt leaked through that anger. Jason was a tough kid, no doubt, and he's been through hell, but he wasn't invincible or made of stone. Words and actions can still hurt him.

"Oh no.. Jaybird, I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean that. I'm so sorry."

"Fuck off, Harper." Jason turned on his heel and marched toward their bedroom. A brief slam that shook the walls could be heard and Roy was left in their living room.

(God, what did I do?)

Roy sat with his face in his hands. 

(It's late. I should try and sleep. If he wants me there, he'll get me.)

With that, Roy closed his eyes and laid on the broken down mess of a couch. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No! No, stop! Stop! It hurts!" Screams could be heard from the bedroom, shaking the house with the intensity.

Roy bolted up and sprinted out of the couch. He tried to open the door but found that it was locked.

"Jason, Jaybird, baby, let me in! If you can hear me, let me in!"

Roy received no response other than violent screaming and what seemed to sound like dull thuds on the other side of the door.

"Jaybird, stay back, I'm kicking the door in!" Roy took one step back and promptly aimed his foot at the center of the door. He kicked it in and with the sound of the wood splitting, he ran inside. What he saw inside the room made his heart stop and he gasped. Jason, on the bed soaked in sweat, screaming and holding a knife, slashing up the sheets and pillows.

(Shit, I can't wake him, but I can't let him hurt himself or me. He won't forgive himself if he hurts me.)

Roy sprang into action, carefully ducking the slashes of the knife. He hates to do it and he knows how Jason feels about touching sometimes, but he has to pin Jason down to get the knife loose. 

"Get off me, get away from me, get away from me, you clown piece of shit!" Jason spat through gritted teeth and growled. 

"Jaybird, you've gotta come back to me, it's Roy. Baby, it's me, c'mon, it's me. I know you, you're stronger than this. Shhh... C'mon.. You can do it." Roy gently cups Jay's face and waits for him to come to. It feels like decades but Jason finally wakes up.

"What-.. what did I do? I didn't hurt you, did I, please tell me I didn't, oh god, I'm so sorry-."

"Jaybird, it's okay, you didn't hurt me, shhh.. It's okay."

Jason was hyperventilating as he took a look around. His eyes landed on the red numbered alarm clock on their nightstand.  
Suddenly, he was right back in that damn warehouse that killed him... 

Then the Lazarus Pit... 

Oh god, the pain, the burns, the anger, the insanity he felt... 

It was too much, way too much, he began to breath even faster. Roy picked up on this and sat in front of Jason again. 

"Jay? Jason, baby, what's-?" All Roy had to do was look at Jason to see what was triggering him even more. Roy grunted and picked up the alarm clock, and then sent it flying out the window, crashing onto the sidewalk below.

"It's gone, Jay, it's okay, you're not back in that warehouse. It's okay, shhh.."

Roy hated to see Jason relieve all that trauma, especially when he's doing so much better than before. That broken, fragile, glassy look in his eyes. It's not his Jason. It's not. But Roy'll be damned if he let Jason go through this alone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take a genius to see that something had happened. The pillows were ripped to shreds, the sheets were soaked with sweat and his throat was killing him. Roy was whispering sweet nothings in his ear and stroking his back. They somehow made it back in the bed, Jason underneath a clean fleece blanket that wasn't here before. 

"Jaybird.. shhh.. I've got you, I've got you, I'm right here.."

"Oh my god.. Roy, it felt so real.. Bruce replaced me, left me there with that... That.. That sick fuck, and he- he-."Jason's voice cracked and he trailed off. 

"I'm right here, he's not going to get you. I promise. Shhh..." Roy swiftly opened his arms up to his raven and white-streaked haired partner. Jason silently accepted and curled into Roy's chest. Jason Todd was almost never vulnerable. Seeing him like this was startling under the circumstances, but any other time, would be amazing. 

"I didn't mean what I said tonight, Jay. I'm so so sorry." Roy quietly whispers into Jason's ear and Jason looks at him.

"I know you didn't.. Don't worry 'bout it." Jason tucks his head into Roy's neck and Roy pets his hair. He uses his other hand to lightly traces Jay's scars on his back and whispers.

"This does not define you, Jay. You're not just the kid who came back to life. You're Jason Todd. My boyfriend. The boyfriend who can handle anything you throw at him and somehow make a smartass remark out of anything." Roy tries to make Jay smile a bit and ends up getting a bit of a chuckle out of Jason. Roy wipes Jason's face and continues.

"You're Jason Todd. Mine. The Red Hood. The awesome, caring, passionate, driven, sometimes overly stubborn and self-destructive person I know you are. But that Lazarus Pit didn't take any of the goodness from you. Nothing can. Bringing you back brought you to me. And I'm so damn grateful for that. I love you so much. I'll always be here to protect you, yell at you when you do stupid shit, take care of you, and love you. Nothing will change that."

Roy finished his speech and kissed Jason's forehead.

"Thank you, Roy.. I love you too. That means everything to me." Jason yawns and closes his eyes. 

"Of course, Jaybird. Get some rest." And with that, both boys cuddled up to each other. They were feeling nothing but warmth and safety. 

Nothing would tear these two apart.


End file.
